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Noun on first syllable; verb on second

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Latest post Thu, Jan 22 2004 8:47 AM by Usenet. 52 replies.
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Michael J Hardy    799657 Fri, 09 Jan 04 10:51 PM

Is there any concise name for words that are nouns or adjectives when the accent is on the first syllable and verbs when on a later syllable (usually the second, but not always? There are about 100 such words in English.

Mike Hardy
Michael J Hardy
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CyberCypher    799709 Fri, 09 Jan 04 11:39 PM

(Email Removed) (Michael J Hardy) wrote on 10 Jan 2004:
"Is there any concise name for words that are nouns or adjectives when the accent is on the first syllable and verbs when on a later syllable (usually the second, but not always? There are about 100 such words in English."

You don't happen to have a nice neat list of them, do you?

Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor.
CyberCypher
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John Lawler    799855 Sat, 10 Jan 04 12:50 AM

"Is there any concise name for words that are nouns or adjectives when the accent is on the first syllable and verbs when on a later syllable (usually the second, but not always? There are about 100 such words in English."

No, there isn't. But you could call the nouns, anyway, 'initial-stress-derived nouns' and linguists, at least, would understand you mean words like 'address' or 'recall'.

There's a dialect in the U.S. referred to informally as 'P/U' or 'Police/Umbrella' because in that dialect these nouns (along with 'cigarette', 'insurance', and many others) are stressed on the first syllable to conform with that rule.

-John Lawler http://www.umich.edu/~jlawler/disclaimers.html U Michigan #include disclaimers.h
John Lawler
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Michael J Hardy    799799 Sat, 10 Jan 04 12:52 AM

"Is there any concise name for words that are nouns ... not always? There are about 100 such words in English."

"You don't happen to have a nice neat list of them, do you? Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor."

absent abstract accent addict address admit advert affect affix ally annex
array (In some dialects, this word belongs in this list.)

attribute combat combine compact compost compound
compress commune concert conduct confines conflict conscript console consort construct consult content contest contract contrast converse convert convict "crack down" decrease default defect detail desert digest discard discharge discount dismount "drop out" entrance envelope/envelop escort essay excerpt exempt exploit export extract "fall out" finance "hand out" impact implant import impound incense incline increase insert insult intercept interchange intrigue invite "make up" object overcount overlay overlook
perfect permit pervert present proceed produce progress project protest rebel recall recap recess record
redress refund refuse regress reject relapse remake research retake retard retract subject survey suspect transform transplant transpose transport undercount unit/unite update uplift upset
Michael J Hardy
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Evan Kirshenbaum    799848 Sat, 10 Jan 04 01:01 AM

"Is there any concise name for words that are nouns ... not always? There are about 100 such words in English."

"You don't happen to have a nice neat list of them, do you?"

Here's one:
The following is a list of English words that have the same spelling (homographs) but different accentuation according to their grammatical function. In such pairs the noun usually has the accent on the first syllable, the verb on the second.

ABsent (adjective) abSENT (verb)
ABstract (noun or adjective) abSTRACT (verb)
ACcent (noun) acCENT (verb)
ADdress (noun) adDRESS (verb)
Adept (noun) aDEPT (adjective)
aRITHmetic (noun) arithMETic (adjective) AUgust (noun) auGUST (adjective)
COLLect (noun) coLLect (verb)
COMmune (noun) comMUNE (verb)
COMpound (noun) comPOUND (verb)
COMpress (noun) COMpress (verb)
CONcert (noun) conCERT (verb)
CONduct (noun) conDUCT (verb)
CONflict (noun) conFLICT (verb)
CONsort (noun) conSORT (verb)
conSUMMate (adjective) CONsummate (verb)
CONtract (noun) conTRACT (verb)
CONtest (noun) conTEST (verb)
CONvict (noun) conVICT (verb)
CONvoy (noun) conVOY (verb)
DEcrease (noun) deCREASE (verb)
DEfault (noun) deFAULT (verb)
DEScant (noun) desCANT (verb)
DESert (noun) deSERT (verb)
DEtail (noun) deTAIL (verb)
DICtate (noun) dicTATE (verb)
DIgest (noun) diGEST (verb)
DIScount (noun) disCOUNT (verb)
ENvelope (noun) enVELope (verb)
EScort (noun) esCOURT (verb)
ESSay (noun) eSSAY (verb)
EXpert (noun) exPERT (adjective)
EXploit (noun) exPLOIT (verb)
EXport (noun) exPORT (verb)
EXtract (noun) exTRACT (verb)
FERment (noun) ferMENT (verb)
FREquent (adjective) freQUENT (verb)
IMpact (noun) imPACT (verb)
IMport (noun) imPORT (verb)
IMpress (noun) imPRESS (verb)
IMprint (noun) imPRINT (verb)
INcense (noun) inCENSE (verb)
INcrease (noun) inCREASE (verb)
INstinct (noun) inSTINCT (adjective) INsult (noun) inSULT (verb)
INterdict (noun) interDICT (verb)
INvalid (noun or adjective) inVALid (adjective)
MInute (noun) miNUTE (adjective)
misCONduct (noun) misconDUCT (verb)
NAtal (noun) NAtal (adjective)
OBject (noun) obJECT (verb)
RECord (noun) reCORD (verb)
PERfect (adjective) perFECT (verb)
PERfume (noun) perFUME (verb)
PERmit (noun) perMIT (verb)
PREsent (noun) preSENT (verb)
PROduce (noun) proDUCE (verb)
PROject (noun) proJECT (verb)
REbel (noun) reBEL (verb)
REcord (noun) reCORD (verb)
REfill (noun) reFILL (verb)
REsearch (noun) reSEARCH (verb)
SUSpect (noun) susPECT (verb)
TRANSport (noun) transPORT (verb)
TRANSfer (noun) transFER (verb)
http://www.traditio.com/tradlib/lateng.txt
Some dialects add "cement" and "police". (Menken gives "cement" without comment.) I'd add "defense", "reject", and "subject". My own dialect uses only the first syllable accent for "accent", "august", "convoy", "consummate", "expert", "natal"; and I don't have "collect" as a noun, "descant" as a verb, "ferment" as an adjective, "instinct" as an adjective,

Evan Kirshenbaum + HP Laboratories >There's been so much ado already
1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 >that any further ado would bePalo Alto, CA 94304 >excessive.

(650)857-7572
http://www.kirshenbaum.net/
Evan Kirshenbaum
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Michael J Hardy    799882 Sat, 10 Jan 04 01:17 AM

"Is there any concise name for words that are nouns ... not always? There are about 100 such words in English."

"No, there isn't. But you could call the nouns, anyway, 'initial-stress-derived nouns' and linguists, at least, would understand you mean words like 'address' or 'recall'."

I created the page at
(which has been edited by various other people since then, so I'm not necessarily to blame for anything offensive you find there) and someone sarcastically responded by creating a new page titled .

Hence my question. Mike Hardy
Michael J Hardy
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CyberCypher    799915 Sat, 10 Jan 04 02:43 AM

(Email Removed) (Michael J Hardy) wrote on 10 Jan 2004:
"absent abstract accent addict address admit advert affect affix ally annex array (In some dialects, this word belongs in this ... regress reject relapse remake research retake retard retract subject survey suspect transform transplant transpose transport undercount unit/unite update uplift upset"

Thank you, Michael.

Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor.
CyberCypher
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CyberCypher    799916 Sat, 10 Jan 04 02:44 AM

Evan Kirshenbaum (Email Removed) wrote on 10 Jan 2004:
"Here's one: The following is a list of English words that have the same spelling (homographs) but different accentuation according ... and I don't have "collect" as a noun, "descant" as a verb, "ferment" as an adjective, "instinct" as an adjective,"

Thank you, Evan.

Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor.
CyberCypher
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Sebastian Hew    799921 Sat, 10 Jan 04 02:54 AM

"I don't have "collect" as a noun"

Hmm... what would you call the short prayer that is usually known by this term?
Sebastian Hew
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